Together
by soulbound nun
Summary: "Don't get the wrong idea…," I muttered slowly, "But… It's you… isn't it? You want more than this?" She clutched onto my cloth with her little hand. Even without words exchanged, I already knew her answer.


**Together**

**a/n: **My first one-shot. Please enjoy. :3

**Bleach © Tite Kubo**

* * *

"… _Do you have a name?"_

_"Lilynette. What about you? You got a name? Despite the fact that you _were_ me…"_

_"… Starrk."_

_"… Starrk, what do we do now…?"_

_"We can do anything."_

_"Okay. Where do we go?"_

_"Anywhere. … Let's go everywhere. Together."_

* * *

I was no longer alone.

With this girl by my side, I almost felt invincible. Sure, I wanted more comrades, but right now, I could deal with just her. At least I had somebody. Hm… now that I think about it, she is my first "somebody." My first "comrade." My first "friend."

I always figured it was hopeless dream. No matter where I went, Hollows kept dying left and right. It was a pain in the ass to see. All those weaker souls… At least they had each other. At least they could have the company. I was jealous of them. They could sure be ungrateful creatures sometimes. They didn't know how good they had it. To not be alone. To never be lonely.

I used to count the number of hollows that would die all around me. I lost count, and I stopped counting all together from the moment Lilynette came along.

"Starrk," she called out to me one night.

We sat in the abysmal darkness. I kept my eyes on the endless white plains stretching out before us and wondered what was at the end of it all. Was there a place where the land just stopped, or would there be a sand perpetually falling into nothingness? Maybe there was nothing at all. Maybe the sand would just stretch and stretch, and that was all there was to it. I was thinking I thought too much.

"Starrk," the girl repeated, standing up.

I glanced at her. Lilynette was a short and lanky, and especially foulmouthed, kid. Her lime green hair and pale skin shined against the rays of Hueco Mundo's moonlight. She wrapped her long strip of cloth around herself tightly. Hm… I should find her something better to wear before she starts complaining.

I wrapped my arms behind my head and lied back onto the white sand and tried to get myself comfortable. I was tired. I wanted to sleep.

"What do you want, Lilynette?" I finally answered her.

And I knew that whatever she was gonna say, she wanted something. Our conversations were always different. Her complaints could be as simple as where do we shit at or why did I get to wear the bigger shred of cloth, to questions I couldn't even answer like why do we exist and why are we the way we are.

Those questions were rare. Those questions were the most annoying. How was I supposed to know? Why was I supposed to answer something like that?

"Why don't you have any friends?"

"_You're_ my friend."

"I don't count," she insisted, "I was a part of you so I don't count."

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying you _aren't_ my friend?" I implored.

She stamped her foot in frustration. "That's not what I'm saying, moron!" Lilynette growled, "Don't put words into my mouth that aren't mine!"

"I think that's exactly what you're saying, you little punk," I muttered and stood up.

My tall figure overshadowed her. It was natural. Lilynette was always short and lanky. After all, she was a kid. A foulmouthed kid. And she would always stay a foulmouthed kid since Arrancar don't age.

I stared her down. She tried to hold my stare, but she ultimately avoided it and lowered her gaze to the left. Annoying. It's annoying when I notice things like this. When I notice things that could bother me. I yanked at her cloth and pulled her closer. She thrashed and protested, but I didn't care. Maybe I was being selfish, but I wanted her to look me in the eye, even if she had something bad to say.

"If you have something to say, then say it."

"…"

"… You sick of me? Is that it?"

"That's not it…"

"Yeah, it is. You're sick of me. Tired of me. You want friends that aren't me."

"I said, that's not it, Starrk!"

"Then, what is it, Lilynette?"

She didn't answer. I knew it. The kid was trying to lay me down easy and spare my feelings. Lilynette narrowed her gaze and jerked herself away from my grip. And I let her.

I pressed my lips together. I was used to losing people. I just wasn't used to losing a "somebody" like her. It irritated me. Everyone around me died but her. Only her. I thought it meant something, but I guess it didn't mean anything at all. I thought that we could be together forever, but I guess forever is just a little while. A part of me knew it was too good to be true… to have a "somebody" like her.

"It's just…," Lilynette whispered, "… Why me?"

"What…?"

"Are you really okay… with just having… _me?_"

I paused. I didn't expect this kind of question. It wasn't annoying, but… I scratched my head and shrugged my shoulders. "Don't get the wrong idea…," I muttered slowly, "But… It's _you_… isn't it? _You_ want more than this?"

Lilynette clutched onto my cloth with her little hand.

Even without words exchanged, I already knew her answer.

Silence fell between us as we just stood there, staring at each other. For how long, I didn't know. I finally sighed.

"We can find more friends," I reassured her and pressed my head on her head, "We will find more friends. I promise we'll have all the friends in the world. Just stay with me… and I'll make our dream come true. You just wait and see… Lilynette."

"Mm… Yeah. Together."


End file.
